Controlling power states of a peripheral device in response to user proximity

ABSTRACT

In a method of controlling the power state of a peripheral device, the peripheral is changed from a first power state to a second power state in response to communications across a network connected to the peripheral indicating that a user is proximately located to the peripheral. A user may be determined to be proximately located to the peripheral by monitoring communications across the network to detect traffic that is associated with a user logging onto a computer that can utilize the peripheral, by discovering a wireless terminal that is associated with a user and which is proximately located to the peripheral, by receiving information from a cellular communication network across the network that indicates that a user of the peripheral is proximately located to the peripheral, and/or in response to a time of day and/or day of week/month schedule.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to networked computer systems and, moreparticularly, to controlling the power state of one or more networkedperipherals.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Continued technology advancements have provided an increasingproliferation of the various types and numbers of peripheral devicesthat can be networked to a computer. Such peripheral devices can includeprinters, photocopiers (“copiers”), video recording devices (e.g.,digital video recorders), audio recording devices (e.g., MP3 recorders),televisions and other audio/video devices. Because of the number ofperipherals that a user may utilize from time-to-time, the peripheralsmay be left powered-on between use and may even be left powered-onduring long periods of non-use, such as overnight and throughoutweekends. Because some peripherals consume relatively large amounts ofpower while operating and their operational life is reduced whilepowered-on, some peripheral devices automatically transition from ahigher power operational state to a lower power sleep state after adefined duration of non-use.

For example, laser printers and copiers typically employ hightemperature fuser assemblies to permanently adhere toner to paper. Theheating elements that warm the fuser assemblies can consume substantialelectrical energy and, therefore, powering the heater elements whenevera laser printer/copier is turned on but idle can be wasteful.

It has generally been known to cause some types of peripherals, such asprinters and copiers, to enter a power save mode after a certain periodof inactivity. For instance, after a period of about one hour ofnon-use, a printer or copier may transition from a higher poweroperational state to a lower power sleep state in which their fuserassemblies (heater elements) are powered-off. Depending on theparticular printer/copier, the warm-up period for the fuser assembly mayrange from one to several minutes or more. This warm-up period may beconsidered unsatisfactory to a user who, for example, has sent a printjob to a printer/copier and is now idly standing by the printer/copierawaiting completion of the print job.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Some embodiments of the present invention provide a method ofcontrolling the power state of a peripheral device. The method includeschanging the peripheral from a first power state to a second power statein response to communications across a network connected to theperipheral indicating that a user is proximately located to theperipheral.

In some further embodiments, communications across the network may bemonitored to detect traffic that is associated with a user logging ontoa computer that can utilize the peripheral, and the user may bedetermined to be proximately located to the peripheral based thereon.When the peripheral is in the first power state, the peripheral may bechanged to the second power state in response to detecting networktraffic associated with the user logging onto the computer.

In still some further embodiments, the network may include a Bluetoothwireless network and/or a wireless local area network. A wirelesscommunication terminal that is proximately located to the peripheral maybe discovered in response to the peripheral receiving communicationsacross the Bluetooth network and/or across the wireless local areanetwork from the wireless terminal. When the peripheral is in the firstpower state, the peripheral may be changed to the second power state inresponse to the discovery of the wireless terminal.

In some further embodiments, the peripheral may receive information froma cellular communication network across the network that indicates thatone or more users of the peripheral are proximately located to theperipheral. When the peripheral is in the first power state, theperipheral may be changed to the second power state in response to thereceived information.

In some further embodiments, the power state of the peripheral may becontrolled in response to a time of day and/or day of week/monthschedule.

Other methods, computer program products, and/or related systemsaccording to embodiments of the invention will be or become apparent toone with skill in the art upon review of the following drawings anddetailed description. It is intended that all such additional methods,computer program products, and/or related systems be included withinthis description, be within the scope of the present invention, and beprotected by the accompanying claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram that illustrates a communication system inwhich a peripheral device controls its power state in response tocommunications across a network indicating whether a user is proximatelylocated to the peripheral and/or in response to other defined events inaccordance with some embodiments of the present invention, and furtherillustrates corresponding methods thereof.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart that illustrates operations for changing thepower state of a peripheral in response to monitored network traffic,discovery of a wireless terminal, receipt of a user location that isproximate to the peripheral, and/or in response a defined schedule inaccordance with some embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart that illustrates operations for developing adatabase of learned associations between use of a peripheral andobservation of certain types of network traffic, discovery of a wirelessterminal, and/or receipt of a user location that is proximate to theperipheral in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart that illustrates operations for lowering thepower state of a peripheral in response to monitored network traffic,loss of network connection to a wireless terminal, receipt of a userlocation that is not proximate to the peripheral, and/or in response toa defined schedule in accordance with some embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram that illustrates a communication system inwhich the power state of a peripheral device is controlled by acentralized peripheral power state controller in response tocommunications across a network indicating whether a user is proximatelylocated to the peripheral and/or in response to other defined events inaccordance with some embodiments of the present invention, and furtherillustrates corresponding methods thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which embodiments of theinvention are shown. However, this invention should not be construed aslimited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodimentsare provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, andwill fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in theart.

It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. maybe used herein to describe various elements, these elements should notbe limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish oneelement from another element. Thus, a first element discussed belowcould be termed a second element without departing from the scope of thepresent invention. In addition, as used herein, the singular forms “a”,“an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unlessthe context clearly indicates otherwise.

It also will be understood that, as used herein, the term “comprising”or “comprises” is open-ended, and includes one or more stated elements,steps and/or functions without precluding one or more unstated elements,steps and/or functions. As used herein the term “and/or” and “/”includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associatedlisted items. It will also be understood that when an element isreferred to as being “connected” to another element, it can be directlyconnected to the other element or intervening elements may be present.In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directlyconnected” to another element, there are no intervening elementspresent. It will also be understood that the sizes and relativeorientations of the illustrated elements are not shown to scale, and insome instances they have been exaggerated for purposes of explanation.Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.

Some non-limiting exemplary embodiments of the present invention may beembodied as apparatus, methods, and/or computer program products.Accordingly, the present invention may be embodied in hardware and/or insoftware (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.).Thus, for example, the term “controller” may include, but is not limitedto discrete hardware logic (e.g., gate array) and/or a microprocessorand associated software that are configured to carry out at least someof the functions described herein.

Furthermore, exemplary embodiments of the present invention may take theform of a computer program product on a computer-usable orcomputer-readable storage medium having computer-usable orcomputer-readable program code embodied in the medium for use by or inconnection with an instruction execution system. In the context of thisdocument, a computer-usable or computer-readable medium may be anymedium that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transport theprogram for use by or in connection with the instruction executionsystem, apparatus, or device.

The present invention is described below with reference to blockdiagrams and/or operational illustrations of apparatus, methods, andcomputer program products according to exemplary embodiments. It is tobe understood that the functions/acts noted in the blocks may occur outof the order noted in the operational illustrations. For example, twoblocks shown in succession may in fact be executed substantiallyconcurrently or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverseorder, depending upon the functionality/acts involved.

In accordance with some embodiments of the present invention, the powerstate of a peripheral device is changed from a lower power state to ahigher power state in response to certain events that are indicative ofa user being proximately located to the peripheral. For example, theperipheral device may be changed from the lower power state to thehigher power state in response to observing network traffic that isassociated with a user logging onto a computer that is associated withthe peripheral and/or in response to observing other defined networktraffic. Alternatively or additionally, the peripheral device may bechanged to the higher power state in response to the peripheral deviceand/or a centralized peripheral controller discovering that a wirelessterminal, which is associated with the user, is within a thresholddistance of the peripheral device, and/or in response to receiving userlocation information via a network that indicates that the user isproximately located to the peripheral. Alternatively or additionally,the peripheral device may be changed to the higher power state inresponse to a defined schedule. These and other embodiments are nowdescribed below with reference to FIGS. 1-5.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram that illustrates a communication system 100that includes one or more computers 110, one or more application servers120, one or more peripheral devices 140, and a private/public (e.g.,Internet) network 170. FIG. 2 is a flow chart that illustratesoperations for raising the power state of the peripheral 140. Thenetwork 170 communicatively interconnects the computer 110, applicationserver 120, and the peripheral 140.

For purposes of illustration and explanation only, the peripheral 140 isdescribed as a printer/copier device, however the peripheral 140 is notlimited thereto and can include, but is not limited to, a printer, acopier, a video recording device (e.g., digital video recorder), anaudio recording device (e.g., MP3 recorder), a display device, anotheraudio/video device, a tape data storage device, a hard disk data storagedevice, another mass data storage device, computer controlledassembly/manufacturing machinery, and/or another device that isconnectable to a communication network and can operate in at least twodifferent power states (e.g., powered-off, one or more different powerlevel sleep states, and one or more different power level operationalstates).

The peripheral 140 may include a power state controller 142, anoperational controller 144, a network interface 146, a display 148, auser input interface 150 (e.g., touch screen device, . . . ), and, whenconfigured as a printer/copier, may include a fuser mechanism 152. Thenetwork interface 146 interconnects the peripheral 140 to the computer110 and to application server 120 through the network 170 and/or throughone or more wireless communications networks. The operational controller144 can be configured to control the network interface 146, the display148, the user input interface 150, and the fuser mechanism 152 toprovide conventional printing and/or copier functionality, as is wellknown in the art.

In accordance with some embodiments, the power state controller 142 isconfigured to control the flow of power to one or more elements of theperipheral 140, so as to change the peripheral from a first power stateto a second power state, such as between a lower power sleep state and ahigher power operational state in response to various defined events.The fuser mechanism 152, the operational controller 144, the display148, and/or the user input interface 150 may include switchable powersupply (“SPS”) circuitry which is controlled by the power statecontroller 142 to selectively supply power and inhibit the supply ofpower to the associated components 152, 144, 148, and/or 150.

Thus, for example, the power state controller 142 may place theperipheral 140 in a lower-power sleep state by controlling the SPScircuitry to power off the fuser mechanism 152, the operationalcontroller 144, the display 148, and at least a portion of the userinput interface 150. The power state controller 142 may respond tosignals from the network interface 146, which are indicative of the userbeing proximately located to the peripheral 140, and/or respond to adefined schedule by controlling the SPS circuitry to power on the fusermechanism 152, the operational controller 144, the display 148, and theuser input interface 150 so as to place the peripheral 140 in a higherpower operational state in which it can carry out, for example,printing/copier functionality. Accordingly, the power state controller142 and a network interface 146 can be connected to a continuous powersource 172, which can provide power to the power state controller and tothe network interface 146 while the peripheral 140 is in the lower-powersleep state.

The power state controller 142 may include a network traffic monitorunit 174, a wireless terminal proximity unit 176, a time/date scheduleunit 178, and a database of learned associations and defined rules 180.The network interface 146 may include a wired network interfacecomponent 182 and a wireless network interface 184. The wired networkinterface component 182 may be configured to communicate across, forexample, a digital subscriber telephone line (DSL), a digital cable(e.g., cable TV line), and/or other wired data communication lines suchas residential/business power lines. The wireless network interface 184may include Bluetooth transceiver 186, a WLAN transceiver 188, and/or acellular transceiver 190.

Although the exemplary power state controller 142 is shown in beingwithin the peripheral device 140, it is not limited thereto and may beat least partially external to the peripheral device. For example, thecomputer 110 connected to one or more peripheral devices may beconfigured to carry out at least some of the power state controlfunctionality described herein for those peripheral devices. Thecomputer 110 may monitor what applications hosted by the computer and/orapplication server 120 are executed by the user, and may control thepower states of the peripheral 140 and/or other peripheral in responsethereto. The computer 110 may selective among a plurality of peripheraldevices based on which application(s) are being executed by the user.For example, the computer 110 may selectively wake-up a monochrome laserprinter in response to the user running a word processing application,wake-up a color laser/inkjet printer in response to the user running apicture editing application, and/or wake-up a large format paper printerin response to the user running a drawing application.

With further reference to FIG. 2, the network traffic monitor unit 174monitors communications (Block 200) between the computer 110 and theapplication server 120 and/or other networked devices to detect trafficthat is associated with a user logging onto the computer 110 (or anothernetworked device) and/or to detect other defined traffic which isindicative of a user being proximately located to the peripheral 140.The network traffic monitor unit 174 may monitor network traffic throughthe wired network interface 182, when the peripheral 140 is connected tothe computer 110 via the network 170, and/or through the wirelessnetwork interface 184, when the peripheral 140 is connected to thecomputer 110 via a wireless network. The network traffic monitor unit174 may further determine (Block 202) whether a user who has beenobserved, via monitored network traffic, logging onto the computer 110is associated with the peripheral 140, such as by identifying that theuser is listed among a group of users who have been granted accessprivileges to the peripheral 140 and/or is determined to have previouslyused the peripheral 140.

In response to detecting such defined traffic, the power statecontroller 142 may communicate a message (Block 204) to the computer110, such as via an e-mail or instant message, which prompts the user toindicate whether the user intends to use the peripheral 140 and/or toindicate whether the peripheral 140 is instructed to, in the future,remain in and/or change to a defined power state when the peripheral 140observes the user logging onto the computer 110. The peripheral 140 mayadd (Block 206) the learned association, of the user logging onto thecomputer 110 and the user's intent to use the peripheral 140, to thedatabase of learned associations and define rules 180 in the power statecontroller 142. The peripheral 140 may respond to a response (Block 208)from the user by remaining in a first power state (e.g., the lower powersleep state) or changing the peripheral to a second power state (e.g.,the higher power operational state) (Block 210).

Accordingly, the peripheral 140 may monitor network traffic to determinewhen a user has arrived at work by detecting network traffic that isassociated with the user logging onto a computer and/or other traffic isassociated with user being at work. The peripheral 140 may identify theuser and, when the user is expected to use the peripheral near-term, theperipheral 140 may switch to a higher power operational stage inanticipation of receiving one or more commands from the user.

Alternatively or additionally, the computer 110, which the user logsinto, may prompt the user to indicate whether the user intends to usethe peripheral 140 and/or other defined peripheral, and may control thepower states of the peripherals based on the user's response.Accordingly, upon logging into the computer 110, the peripheral 140and/or other peripherals may be triggered to change from a sleep stateto an operational state to prepare for one or more commands (e.g., printjobs) from the user.

The peripheral 140 may more directly sense that a user has come within athreshold distance of the peripheral 140 by discovering that a wirelessterminal 194, which may be carried by the user or otherwise turned on bythe user after arriving at a location, is now within a communicationrange of the peripheral 140. Accordingly, when the user arrives at work,the peripheral 140 may sense the user's presence by discovering thepresence of the wireless terminal 194 which is associated with the user.The peripheral 140 may then switch to a higher power operational statein anticipation of receiving one or more commands from the user.

The Bluetooth transceiver 186 and the WLAN transceiver 188, in thewireless network interface 184, may be configured to discover that thewireless terminal 194, which may be configured to communicate via aBluetooth network and/or a WLAN network, has come within communicationrange of the Bluetooth transceiver 186 (e.g., within tens of feetthereof) and/or of the WLAN transceiver 188 (e.g., within hundreds offeet thereof). The Bluetooth transceiver 186 and the WLAN transceiver188 (e.g, a IEEE 801.11a-g compliant device) may operate in aconventional manner to discover the wireless terminal 194 and mayfurther operate to establish a communication network therewith. Theperipheral 140 may additionally/alternatively detect the user's presenceby sensing a RF identification (RFID) transmitter (via near-fieldcommunications) on the user (e.g., within the user's employee ID card).

The wireless terminal proximity unit 176 may respond (212) to discoveryof the wireless terminal 194 being within communication range of theperipheral 140 by determining (Block 214) whether the wireless terminal194 is associated with use of the peripheral 140. For example, thewireless terminal proximity unit 176 may identify the wireless terminal194 as being associated with a user who is among a list of users who areallowed access privileges to the peripheral 140 and/or as beingassociated with a user who has previously used the peripheral 140, whichmay be learned by observing previous use of the peripheral 140 within athreshold time of discovering the wireless terminal 194. In response tothe determination (Block 214), the power state controller 142 can changethe peripheral 140 to the second power state (e.g., the higher poweroperational state) (Block 210).

Although the exemplary wireless terminal proximity unit 176 isillustrated as being within the peripheral 140, it mayalternatively/additionally be located outside the peripheral device 140(e.g., near entrances to a business) and be networked to the peripheral140.

The peripheral 140 may be told when the wireless terminal 194 has becomeproximately located thereto. For example a cellular network operator 198may track the location of the wireless terminal 194 and, when thewireless terminal 194 becomes within a defined region (e.g., arrived ata defined workplace of the user), the cellular network operator 198 maysend a message, via the network 170 and/or via the cellular transceiver190, to the peripheral 140 indicating that the user is proximatelylocated to the peripheral 140.

The cellular network operator 198, the wireless terminal 194, and thecellular transceiver 190 of the peripheral 140 may communicate over awireless interface, via one or more of the base stations 196 a-c, usingone or more cellular communication protocols such as, for example,Advanced Mobile Phone Service (AMPS), ANSI-136, Global Standard forMobile (GSM) communication, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS),enhanced data rates for GSM evolution (EDGE), Integrated DigitalEnhancement Network (iDEN), code division multiple access (CDMA),wideband-CDMA, CDMA2000, and/or Universal Mobile TelecommunicationsSystem (UMTS). As used herein, a “wireless terminal” includes, but isnot limited to, a communication device that may transmit and receivecommunication signals via a short range wireless air interface, such asa Bluetooth wireless interface and/or a wireless WLAN interface (e.g.,IEEE 801.11a-g), and/or via a cellular air interface using one or morecellular communication protocols. A wireless terminal may include, butis not limited to, a cellular phone and/or data terminal, a personaldata assistant (PDA), a mobile or fixed computer (e.g., laptop computer,palmtop computer, desktop computer), and/or another device that isconfigured to communicate radio frequency signals over a wirelessinterface.

The wireless terminal 194 may determine its location based on GPSsignals from a constellation of GPS satellites and/or based ontriangulation of radio communication signals received from the pluralityof cellular base stations 196 a-c. The wireless terminal 194 maytherefore determine when it has become within the defined region. Thewireless terminal proximity unit 176 may then notify the peripheral 140when the user is proximately located to the peripheral 140 based on thatdetermination.

The cellular network operator 198 may determine the location of thewireless terminal 194 by triangulation of radio communication signalsreceived by the cellular base stations 196 a-c from the wirelessterminal 194 and/or by receiving from the wireless terminal 194 its owndetermined location. The cellular network operator 198 may use thatlocation to determine when the wireless terminal 194 is within a definedregion and, responsive thereto, may send a message to the peripheral 140that indicates that a defined user is proximately located to theperipheral 140.

Accordingly, the peripheral 140 may use the user location information(Block 216) received via the wired network interface 182 and/or thewireless network interface 184 to determine that a user is proximatelylocated to the peripheral 140. The power state controller 142 mayrespond to the received location information by changing the peripheral140 to the second power state (Block 210).

The schedule unit 178 of the power state controller 142 may contain aschedule that defines a time of day and/or the day of week/month whenthe power state controller 142 is to control the power state ofperipheral 142 to be in the first power state or the second power state.The schedule unit 178 may therefore control the peripheral 140 to be inthe second/first power state by powering-up/powering-down the fusermechanism 152, the operational controller 144, the display 148, and/orthe user interface 150 upon occurrence of a defined time of day and/orday of week/month.

As briefly mentioned above and now described in further detail below,the power state controller 142 may utilize the database of learnedassociations and defined rules 180 to control the power state of theperipheral 140 based on various events that are observed or otherwisedefined therein. FIG. 3 is a flow chart that illustrates operations fordeveloping a database of learned associations between use of aperipheral (e.g., peripheral 140) and observation of certain types ofnetwork traffic, discovery of a wireless terminal (e.g., wirelessterminal 194), and/or receipt of a user location that is proximate tothe peripheral in accordance with some embodiments of the presentinvention.

Referring to FIG. 3, the network traffic monitor unit 174 monitorscommunications (Block 300) on the network 170 and/or on one or morewireless networks (e.g., via the Bluetooth transceiver 186, the WLANtransceiver 188, and/or the cellular transceiver 190) to identifytraffic between the computer 110 and application server 120 that isassociated with a user logging onto the computer 110 and/or otherdefined types of traffic. The other defined types of traffic mayinclude, but are not limited to, observing a print command iscommunicated through the monitored network to another peripheral devicethat is proximately located to the peripheral device 140, and/oroperations to load one or more applications from the application server120 to the computer 110.

The power state controller 142 may learn (Block 302) that when one ormore commands are received by the peripheral 140 from a user within athreshold time of observing the user logging onto the computer 110and/or observing other defined types of traffic on the monitored networkis indicative of a cause-effect correlation that is to be added (Block304) to the database of learned associations and defined rules 180.Accordingly, when the network traffic monitor unit 174 observes that auser has logged onto the computer 110 and within a defined thresholdtime receives one or more print commands from the computer 110, thenetwork traffic monitor unit 174 may add that learned association (ofobserving a user logging in and subsequent peripheral use) to thedatabase 180. Furthermore, the network traffic monitor unit 174 maystore in the database 180 the elapsed time between observing the networktraffic and subsequent use of the peripheral 140. The power statecontroller 142 may then use the defined association and a presentobservation of defined network traffic to command the peripheral 140,when it is in a lower power sleep state, to change to a higher poweroperational state in expectation of receiving a near-term print commandfrom the computer 110. The power state controller 142 may delay changingto the higher power operational state based on the elapsed time that hasbeen previously observed between the network traffic and subsequent useof the peripheral 140.

The wireless terminal proximity unit 176 may associate discovery (Block306) of the wireless terminal 194 being proximately located to theperipheral 140 with observed use of the peripheral 140 within athreshold time (Block 308) of the discovery of the wireless terminal194. The wireless terminal proximity unit 176 may add (Block 310) thelearned association (of discovering a defined wireless terminal andsubsequent use of the peripheral 140) to the database 180. Furthermore,the wireless terminal proximity unit 176 may store in the database 180the elapsed time between discovering a wireless terminal and subsequentuse of the peripheral 140. The power state controller 142 may thenrespond to discovery of the wireless terminal having an identifier thatcorresponds to an identifier in the database 180 by commanding theperipheral 140 to change from the lower power sleep state to the higherpower operational state in anticipation of receiving a near-term printcommand, or another peripheral command, from a user, and may delaychanging to the higher power operational state based on the elapsed timethat has been previously observed between discovery of a wirelessterminal and subsequent use of the peripheral 140.

The power state controller 142 may associate user location informationthat is received through the wired network 170 (e.g., via the wirednetwork interface 182) and/or through a wireless network (e.g., via thewireless network interface 184) with observed use of the peripheral 140within a threshold time (Block 312) of receiving the user locationinformation. The power state controller 142 may add (Block 314) thelearned association to the database 180. The power state controller 142may then respond to receipt of user location information having anidentifier that corresponds to an identifier in the database 180 bycommanding the peripheral 140 to change from the lower power sleep stateto the higher power operational state in anticipation of receiving anear-term print command, or another peripheral command, from a user.

The power state of a peripheral 140 may similarly be changed from thesecond power state (e.g., a higher power operational state) to the lowerpower state (e.g., a lower power sleep state) in response to certainevents that are indicative of a user not being proximately located tothe peripheral. For example, the peripheral device may be changed from ahigher power operational state to a lower power sleep state in responseto observing network traffic that is associated with a user logging offthe computer 110 and/or in response to observing other defined networktraffic. Alternatively or additionally, the peripheral 140 may bechanged to the lower power sleep state when the peripheral 140 and/or acentralized peripheral controller discovers that the wireless terminal194 is no longer within a threshold distance of the peripheral 140,and/or in response to receiving user location information via thenetwork 170 and/or a wireless network that indicates that the user is nolonger proximately located to the peripheral 140. Alternatively oradditionally, the peripheral 140 may be changed to the lower power sleepstate in response to a defined schedule. These and other embodiments arenow described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 4.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart that illustrates operations that may be carriedout by the peripheral 140 to change from a first power state to a secondpower state, such as from a higher power operational state to lowerpower sleep state. The network traffic monitor unit 174 monitorscommunications (Block 400) between the computer 110 and the applicationserver 120 and/or other network devices to detect traffic that isassociated with a user logging off of the computer 110 (or anothernetwork device) and/or to detect other defined traffic which isindicative of the user leaving the proximity of the peripheral 140. Thenetwork traffic monitor unit 174 may further refer to information in thedatabase 180 to determine (Block 402) whether the detected traffic isassociated with a user, or a group of users, who is authorized to usethe peripheral 140, and may further determine whether any other users ofthe peripheral 140 are still located proximate to the peripheral 140.When the monitored network traffic indicates that the user is leavingthe proximity of the peripheral 140, a further determination may be madeas to whether any other defined users remain proximately located to theperipheral 140. When no other users remain proximately located to theperipheral 140, the power state controller 142 may change (Block 410)the power standard of the peripheral 140 to the lower power sleep state.

The wireless terminal proximity unit 176 may respond (404) to a loss ofa Bluetooth network connection, WLAN network connection, and/or cellularnetwork connection to the wireless terminal 194 as an indication thatthe user has left the proximity of the peripheral 140, and may cause thepower state controller 142 to change (Block 410) the power state of theperipheral 142 to the lower power sleep state. The power statecontroller 142 may wait for a defined threshold time following loss of anetwork connection, to allow the wireless terminal 194 and/or thewireless network interface 24 to reestablish the network connectionthere between, before changing the power state of the peripheral 140.Accordingly, while a momentary loss of network connection may not causea change in the power state, a more prolonged loss of network connectioncan cause a change in the power state of the peripheral 140.

When the peripheral 140 has been placed in the higher power operationalstate in response to discovering presence of the wireless terminal 194,the power state controller 142 may then change the peripheral 140 backto the lower power sleep state in response to not sensing continuedpresence of the wireless terminal 194 within a threshold elapsed time.Accordingly, the power state of the peripheral 140 may be changed inresponse to sensing the presence or loss of presence of the wirelessterminal 194 without necessitating establishment of a network connectionthere between (i.e., without pairing to the terminal 194 through aBluetooth protocol or negotiating connection to the terminal 194 througha WLAN protocol).

The power state controller 142 may respond (Block 406) to informationthat indicates that the user is no longer proximately located to theperipheral 140, such as location information received from the cellularnetwork operator 198, by changing the peripheral 140 to the lower powersleep state (Block 410). The power state controller 142 may also respond(Block 408) to a threshold length of non-use of the peripheral 140 bychanging the peripheral 140 to the lower power sleep state (Block 410).

FIG. 5 is a block diagram that illustrates a communication system 500that includes a plurality of peripherals, illustrated as a printer 502,a copier 504, and a networked consumer product 506, a centralizedperipheral power state controller 510, the network 170, the applicationserver 120, the cellular network operator 198, a computer 530 (which maybe similarly configured to the computer 110 of FIG. 1), and the wirelessterminal 194. The communication system 500 differs from thecommunication system 100 in that the centralized peripheral power statecontroller 510 controls the power states of the peripherals, the printer502, the copier 504, and the networked product 506. The centralizedcontroller 510 may carry out similar functions to those described abovefor the power state controller 142 in the peripheral 140.

The centralized controller 510 includes the network interface 146, anetwork traffic monitor unit 574, a wireless terminal proximity unit576, a time/date schedule unit 578, and/or a database of learnedassociations and defined rules 580. The network interface 146 mayoperate in accordance with the description provided above for thenetwork interface 146 of FIG. 1, and may include the wired networkinterface 182 and/or the wireless network interface 184.

The network traffic monitor unit 574 can be configured in a similarmanner to that described for the network traffic monitor unit 174 tomonitor communications across the wired network 170 and/or a wirelessnetwork (e.g., Bluetooth network, WLAN network, and/or cellular network)to detect traffic that is associated with a user logging onto/off thecomputer 530 and/or to identify other defined traffic (e.g., asdescribed above with regard to Blocks 200-202 of FIG. 2 and/or Blocks400-402 of FIG. 4) and to control the power state of one or more of theperipherals 502, 504, and 506.

Accordingly, the centralized controller 510 may detect that a user islogging onto the computer 530, may determine from rules defined in thedatabase 580 that the user typically uses the printer 502 and the copier504, and may respond thereto by commanding the printer 502 and thecopier 504 to change from a lower power sleep state to a higher poweroperational state in preparation for those peripherals receivingcommands from the user. The centralized controller 510 may similarlydetect the user is logging off the computer 530, may determine from thedatabase 580 than no other users of the printer 502 and/or the copier504 remain within a proximate distance to those peripherals (e.g., suchas by determining that all users in a defined workplace area have loggedoff their computers and associated applications from the applicationserver 120 and, therefore, presumably, will not be using the printer 502and/or the copier 504 near-term), and may respond thereto by commandingthe printer 502 and the copier 504 to change to a lower power sleepstate. The centralized controller 510 may send a message to the computer530 and/or another computer, such as via an e-mail or instant message,to prompt the user to indicate whether the user intends to use one ormore of the peripherals 502, 504, and 506, and may control the powerstate of the peripherals based on the user's response.

The centralized controller 510 may similarly add learned associationsand defined rules relating to observing network traffic and associateduse of one or more of the peripherals within a threshold time thereof tothe database of learned associations and defined rules 580 (e.g., asdescribed above with regard to Blocks 300-304 of FIG. 3) is

The wireless terminal proximity unit 576 may be configured in a similarmanner to that described above with regard to the wireless terminalproximity unit 176 of FIG. 1 (e.g., as described above with regard toBlocks 212-214 of FIG. 2). Accordingly, the wireless terminal proximityunit 576 may sense that a user has come within a threshold distance ofthe centralized controller 510 and, therefore, one or more of theperipherals, by discovering that the wireless terminal 194 and/or thecomputer 530 is now within communication range of the proximity unit576. The centralized controller 510 may then command one or more of theperipherals 502, 504, and 506 to switch to a higher power operationalstate in anticipation of receiving one or more commands from the user ofthe wireless terminal 194 and/or of the computer 530.

The wireless terminal proximity unit 576 may respond to loss of anetwork connection to the computer 530 and/or the wireless terminal 194by commanding one or more of the peripherals 502, 504, and 506 to switchto the lower power sleep state (e.g., as described above with regard toBlock 404 of FIG. 4).

The wireless terminal proximity unit 576 may associate discovery of thewireless terminal 194 and/or the computer 530 being proximately locatedto the centralized controller 510 with the use of one or more of theperipherals 502, 504, and 506 within a threshold time of the discoverythereof (e.g., as described above with regard to Blocks 306-308 of FIG.3). The wireless terminal proximity unit 576 may add the learnedassociation (of discovering a defined wireless terminal/computer andsubsequent use of a peripheral) to the database 580 (e.g., as describedabove with regard to Block 310 of FIG. 3). The centralized controller510 may then respond to discovery of a wireless terminal/computer havingan identifier that corresponds to an identifier in the database 580 bycommanding one or more of the peripherals 502, 504, and 506 to changefrom the lower power sleep state to the higher power operational statein anticipation of receiving a near-term print command, or anotherperipheral command, from a user.

The centralized controller 510 may receive information (e.g., from thecellular network operator 198) that is indicative of one or more usersbeing proximately located to one or more of the peripherals 502, 504,and 506, and may respond thereto by commanding the corresponding one ormore of the peripherals 502, 504, and 506 to change from the lower powersleep state to the higher power operational state (e.g., as describedabove with regard to Block 216 of FIG. 2). The centralized controller510 may similarly respond to information that one or more users are nolonger proximately located to one or more of the peripherals 502, 504,and 506 by commanding the corresponding one or more of the peripherals502, 504, and 506 to change from the higher power operational state tothe lower power operational state (e.g., as described above with regardto Block 406 of FIG. 4). The centralized controller 510 may add learnedassociations between user location information and use of one or more ofthe peripherals 502, 504, and 506 to the database 580 (e.g., asdescribed above with regard to Blocks 312-314 of FIG. 3).

The schedule unit 578 may operate as described above with regard to theschedule unit 178 of FIG. 1 to control the power state of one or more ofthe peripherals 502, 504, and 506 according to a schedule that isdefined based on the time of day and/or the day of week/month when thepower state controller 142 is to control the power state of one or moreof the peripherals 502, 504, and 506 to be in the first power state orthe second power state. The schedule unit 578 may therefore separatelycontrol the power states of the peripherals 502, 504, and 506 accordingto a defined schedule, and which may be carried out in addition to oneor more of the proximity detection functionalities that have beendescribed above with regard to FIGS. 1-5.

Accordingly, the power states of a peripheral device may be controlledbased on one or more determinations of whether one or more users areproximately located to the peripheral and have remained proximatelylocated thereto.

In the drawings and specification, there have been disclosed embodimentsof the invention and, although specific terms are employed, they areused in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes oflimitation, the scope of the invention being set forth in the followingclaims.

1. A method of controlling power states of a peripheral device, themethod comprising: monitoring communications across a network to learnfirst associations between occurrences of certain traffic on the networkand use of the peripheral proximate in time to the occurrences;detecting a subsequent occurrence of the certain traffic on the network;using the first associations to determine that a user is proximatelylocated to the peripheral responsive to detecting the subsequentoccurrence of the certain traffic on the network; changing theperipheral from a first lower power state to a second higher power statein response to determining that the user is proximately located to theperipheral; wherein the network comprises a wireless local area network,and wherein detecting the subsequent occurrence of the certain trafficand using the first associations comprises: discovering a wirelesscommunication terminal that is proximate to the peripheral in responseto receiving communications across the wireless local area network fromthe wireless communication terminal; and when the peripheral is in thefirst power state, changing the peripheral to the second power state inresponse to the discovery of the wireless communication terminal;learning second associations between discovering a wirelesscommunication terminal having a received identifier and the peripheralreceiving an operational command via the network within a threshold timeof the discovery; using the second associations to determine whendiscovery of a wireless communication terminal having the receivedidentifier is associated with the user of the peripheral; and when theperipheral is in the first power state, changing the peripheral to thesecond power state in response to determining that a discovered wirelesscommunication terminal having the received identifier is associated withthe user of the peripheral.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein detectingthe subsequent occurrence of the certain traffic and using the firstassociations comprises: monitoring communications across the network todetect traffic associated with the user logging onto a computer that canutilize the peripheral and determining that the user is proximatelylocated to the peripheral based thereon; and when the peripheral is inthe first power state, changing the peripheral to the second power statein response to detecting network traffic associated with the userlogging onto the computer.
 3. The method of claim 2, further comprisingcarrying out at the peripheral the monitoring of communication acrossthe network to detect network traffic associated with the user loggingonto the computer.
 4. The method of claim 3, further comprisingcommunicating a message query from the peripheral to the computer toprompt the user to indicate whether use of the peripheral is planned. 5.The method of claim 2, further comprising: in response to detectingnetwork traffic associated with the user logging onto the computer,prompting the user to indicate whether use of the peripheral is planned;and in response to the user indicating that use of the peripheral isplanned and when the peripheral is in the first power state, changingthe peripheral to the second power state.
 6. The method of claim 2,further comprising: monitoring communications across the network todetect traffic associated with the user logging off the computer; andwhen the peripheral is in the second power state, changing theperipheral to the first power state in response to detecting networktraffic associated with the user logging off the computer.
 7. The methodof claim 1, further comprising: providing a database that defines aplurality of users who can use the peripheral; monitoring communicationsacross the network to detect traffic associated with users; using thedatabase to determine whether the detected traffic is associated withthe user of the peripheral; and when the peripheral is in the firstpower state, changing the peripheral to the second power state inresponse to determining that network traffic is associated with the userof the peripheral.
 8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:maintaining the database at a centralized peripheral controller that isseparate and apart from the peripheral; and controlling the power stateof one or more peripherals, via a command sent across the network, inresponse to determining that network traffic is associated with the userof the peripheral.
 9. The method of claim 7, further comprising, whenthe peripheral is in a lower power sleep state, controlling theperipheral to change to a higher power operational state in response todetermining that network traffic is associated with the user of theperipheral.
 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising, when theperipheral is in the second power state, changing the peripheral to thefirst power state in response to losing a previously establishedcommunication network between the peripheral and the wireless terminal.11. The method of claim 1, further comprising, when the peripheral is inthe second power state, changing the peripheral to the first power statein response to not sensing presence of the wireless terminal within athreshold elapsed time.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting thesubsequent occurrence of the certain traffic and using the firstassociations comprises: receiving information from a cellularcommunication network across the network that indicates that the user ofthe peripheral is proximately located to the peripheral; and when theperipheral is in the first power state, changing the peripheral to thesecond power state in response to the received information.
 13. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the peripheral comprises a printer configuredto selectively operate in a lower power sleep state and a higher poweroperational state, and wherein the printer switches between the sleepstate and the operational state in response to the printer detectingthat the user is proximately located to the printer.
 14. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising changing between power states of theperipheral in response to occurrence of a defined time.
 15. A peripheralcomprising: a network interface configured to receive communicationsacross a network; a power controller configured to monitorcommunications across the network to learn associations betweenoccurrences of certain traffic on the network and use of the peripheralproximate in time to the occurrences, detect a subsequent occurrence ofthe certain traffic on the network, use the learned associations todetermine that a user is proximately located to the peripheralresponsive to detecting the subsequent occurrence of the certain trafficon the network, and change the peripheral from a first lower power stateto a second higher power state in response to determining that the useris proximately located to the peripheral; wherein the network interfacecomprises a wireless local area network transceiver; and the powercontroller is further configured to discover a wireless communicationterminal that is proximate to the peripheral in response to receivingcommunications through the wireless local area network transceiver fromthe wireless communication terminal, and, when the peripheral is in thefirst power state, changing the peripheral to the second power state inresponse to the discovery of the wireless communication terminal, tolearn second associations between discovering a wireless communicationterminal having a received identifier and the peripheral receiving anoperational command via the network within a threshold time of thediscovery, to use using the second associations to determine whendiscovery of a wireless communication terminal having the receivedidentifier is associated with the user of the peripheral, and when theperipheral is in the first power state, to change the peripheral to thesecond power state in response to determining that a discovered wirelesscommunication terminal having the received identifier is associated withthe user of the peripheral.
 16. The peripheral of claim 15, wherein thepower controller is configured to monitor communications across thenetwork to detect traffic associated with the user logging onto acomputer that can utilize the peripheral, and, when the peripheral is inthe first power state, to change the peripheral to the second powerstate in response to detecting network traffic associated with the userlogging onto the computer.
 17. The method of claim 1, wherein theperipheral comprises one of a plurality of peripherals, wherein each ofthe plurality of peripherals is configured to perform a differentfunction, and wherein changing the peripheral from the first power stateto the second power state comprises: selectively changing the one of theplurality of peripherals to the second power state and leaving one ormore of the plurality of peripherals in the first power state responsiveto detecting traffic indicating execution of a particular applicationprogram associated with the one of the plurality of peripherals on acomputer that can utilize the plurality of peripherals.